Any person who claims a legal or equitable interest in the property described in the complaint may appear in the proceeding. Whether or not such person is named as a defendant in the complaint, he shall appear as a defendant.
§ 1250.230.Appearance By Persons Claiming Legal Or Equitable Interest
Title 7. Eminent Domain Law · Chapter 5. Commencement of Proceeding · Article 3. Parties; Joinder of Property · Enacted 1975 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 29, 2026
In one sentenceSection 1250.230 lets anyone claiming a legal or equitable interest in the described property appear in the proceeding, and requires that person to appear as a defendant regardless of whether the plaintiff's complaint named them.
Full Text of § 1250.230
Plain-English Summary
Naming every interest holder in a complaint is not always possible, so this section builds in a way for people the plaintiff missed to step in on their own. Anyone who claims a legal or equitable interest in the property described in the complaint may appear in the case.
Whether that person was named as a defendant or shows up unnamed, the role is the same: a defendant. That consistent treatment keeps the case from developing a separate procedural track for self-identified interest holders — everyone with a stake litigates on the same footing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can someone with an interest in the property join the case if the plaintiff didn't name them?
Yes. Section 1250.230 lets any person claiming a legal or equitable interest in the described property appear.
What role does that person take once they appear?
Defendant, whether or not the plaintiff's complaint named them.
Amendment History
Added by Stats. 1975, Ch. 1275.
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
the Deering's California Codes Annotated / vLex. Enacted by the California Legislature.
Last verified July 29, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: who can appear in eminent domain caseinterested party condemnation proceeding